Rossi: “It‘s best to take the championship race by race”

With an 18 point lead in the World Championship, Valentino Rossi heads to the Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix with room to breathe.

Valentino Rossi scored second at the Japanese GP, unable to best a dominant Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) but was critically able to finish ahead of Movistar Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. This grants Rossi an 18-point lead in their heated title battle as it rapidly draws to a close. With three rounds left and 75 points on the table, anything could still happen and as the most experienced rider on the MotoGP™ grid, Rossi is taking nothing for granted. The championship now heads to Phillip Island, one of Rossi’s personal favourite tracks and one where he has had great success.

Throughout his career Rossi has claimed eight victories at the coastal Australian track, six in the premier class. His most recent came in 2014 and he’ll be hoping to repeat his crushing ten second victory again this year to take him yet another step closer to the 2015 title. One of Rossi’s strengths in 2015 has been his ability to adapt to all conditions and still produce solid podium finishes. Phillip Island is infamous for its changeable weather so Rossi’s ability to handle anything that’s thrown at him may well be called upon once again.

Valentino Rossi: “Phillip Island is a very particular track. I like it, as does the majority of the rider, but it‘s always difficult to find the right setting and the conditions are often tricky with lots of wind and cold temperatures. We hope for a good weekend like last year and we will try to ride a good race to arrive on the podium, in front of Jorge. I think it‘s best to take the championship race by race, focus on Phillip Island and try to make the most of it.”